How grifters target Latinos
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Latinos in the U.S. are more affected than other groups by scammers pretending to be utility companies or young family members in danger, with 2 in 5 Latino adults saying they've been victims of a scam in the past year, according to an AARP poll.
By the numbers: 23% of Latino adults in the U.S. say they are very concerned about falling prey to identity theft, compared to 17% of white non-Hispanics and 20% of Black non-Hispanics.
- Latinos are the population group least likely to ever provide personal information for offers of a prize or gift, per the report, making them theoretically less susceptible to certain scams.
- Yet they report a lower rate of usage of protective software, like robocall blockers, antivirus or pop-up blockers, than white and Black non-Hispanics. That exposes Latinos more to internet- and phone call-based scams.
Context: Fraud spiked across almost all categories last year, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
- Across all demographics, 1 in 5 adults reports having lost money to a scam and more than a half say they have fallen victim more than once, per the AARP poll.
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